Penumbra
by StrayValkyrie
Summary: Jacob thought he was normal enough, despite an inner voice with a mind of its own. Until he discovers that fifteen years ago he lived a very different life with a different name, in which he was a key factor between a war of good and evil. What the hell?
1. Ch 1 Prologue

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_Penumbra_

**Chapter One - Prologue**

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How long had she been running?

It felt like hours had passed since she'd stopped for a breath. Her lungs were burning in her chest and her heart pounded inside of her with a fierce, hammering force. Every step was becoming harder and harder to take and she knew it was only a matter of time before she slipped or stumbled. The thought of what would happen when he caught up to her afterwards gave her another surge of adrenaline, and she stampeded through the darkened alleyways with a quick, renewed burst of speed.

Alleyways. Why alleyways? Of all the places she could have run to, she took the _damn_ alleyways. At the time she hadn't even really thought about it, but now she could only curse beneath her breath as she turned a corner. All the while she could hear that mocking _laughter_ follow her. That strange, garbled and twisted laugh that bounced off the walls and echoed in her ears.

Other than that and her breathing she was fairly sure she'd gone deaf.

Her eyes were stinging with the burn of barely shed tears. She furiously wiped across her face with her sleeve, dragging in ragged, heavy breaths. She knew she couldn't afford to cry right now, even though the desperation that stormed inside of her made her just want to give up and fall. But she couldn't.

She didn't know why he was chasing her. Why he was doing this to her. He had yet to do anything to actually _hurt_ her, but that strange, malicious glint in his eyes and that _laughter_ terrified her beyond belief.

Whatever he was, he wasn't human.

And the thought of _that_ was beyond her comprehension. It was impossible. Not human, what else could he be? He had two legs and arms, hair and eyes. He... **it** _looked_ human.

But then why did his voice cause unnatural chills to travel along her spine? Why did that evil look in his eyes tell her to _run_? Run and never stop.

She was in agony. Every nerve ending felt like it was on fire. Her legs were _burning_ and her breath was catching in her throat now, tearing it raw and leaving her mouth so, _so_ dry. God, what she wouldn't give for some water. A rest, a moment to catch her breath.

She could hear him laughing still. Always laughing, following her. It sounded like he was _right behind_ her.

Her resolve began to die. She heard her steps begin to slow and could feel her legs become heavier. Suddenly it didn't seem like could pull in enough air and she felt like she was suffocating. The next thing she knew she was slumped over, hands on her knees as she sobbed, coughing viciously. She could feel a thick, wet mucous in her throat. Her tears stung as they slid down her cheeks. She felt like she was going to be sick, feeling her stomach roll over and over, her abdomen muscles clenching so tightly she thought they would shatter.

_Please... please no more!_

She cried wordlessly, her voice torn as she sobbed uncontrollably. Fear clutched her head and she could hear him laughing still. Laughing... laughing... It bounced off the walls of the alleyway around her and she fell weakly to the ground, covering her mouth to cover a scream. She didn't understand why this was happening to her. Maybe it was just her luck, picking the ones that turned out crazy. She should've known better, she should have seen the signs... But she had no idea. _No idea._

"There you are...."

His voice slithered into her ears like a snake, dripping venom into her mind. She clapped both hands over her mouth now to stifle her scream, afraid of what he'd do if she even dared. Her eyes were shut tightly, she was too afraid to look. She didn't want to look, to see those eyes. Those inhuman, _glowing_ eyes staring back at her.

"Gotta hand it to ya. You're pretty fast."

She jumped, tightening herself into a ball as his voice sounded from someplace closer.

God, he didn't even sound like he was out of breath.

What _was_ he?

"But like all good games, I guess this one has gotta come to an end."

A whimper escaped her and she screamed soundlessly into the palms of her hands, her heart _racing_. His voice was right behind her. _He_ was right behind her. She could feel him. Not the warmth of a human being, but the coldness of something supernatural and _evil_. The hair on the back of her neck was on end and she felt bumps rise up and down her arms. She cried and prepared herself, knowing there was no escape now.

A moment passed and nothing happened. He didn't say anything else and for a brief second she wondered if he had gone. She waited, continuing to sob into her hands and refusing to open her eyes. She knew, she just _knew_ that he'd be right there in front of her, smirking so darkly.

But a minute passed by now without hearing anything. She felt the faint glimmer of hope begin to stir in her breast and slowly began to struggle to get her sobbing under control. The only sounds she could hear were now the beating of her heart, the rush of her breath and the faint hiccups as her tears slowed. She strained her senses, listening carefully for anything else. His breathing, a shifting of weight or the soft crunch of broken gravel. _Anything._

_Nothing._

Slowly, she opened her eyes and dared to squint out from behind her thick eyelashes. The alleyway was empty in front of her. In the distance she could see the street and could hear the idling engine of a car stopped at a nearby traffic light. The hope in her heart blossomed.

Was he gone?

She opened her eyes a bit more and looked more carefully. Nothing in front of her.

"_Heh..._"

Panic shot through her body, burning like a wildfire. She was paralyzed, barely able to move her head. But she had to. Something compelled her and she forced herself to turn and look, to see standing behind her -

Golden eyes staring back from the shadows, burning right into her very soul.

"_Boo."_

She screamed.

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**Well, here it is, my first attempt at Bleach fanfiction.  
**

**To say I'm nervous is an understatement. **

**This will be a multi-chaptered fic, with an epic storyline filled with wonderful Bleach goodness. **


	2. Ch 2 Neighbors

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_**Penumbra**_

** Chapter Two**

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This was originally going to be the entire Prologue/First Chapter, but I decided to make it the next chapter instead.

Many thanks go out to wonderful awesome Hikaru! My beta and co-conspirator who has done an awesome job helping me out with this!

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Warning: Language

_Italics = Thoughts & Flashbacks_

_**Italics+Bold = Inner Voice**_

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"Finally. That's the last of them."

Jacob sighed with relief as he tossed the large cardboard box onto the kitchen table. He pulled out a small cardboard cutter and flicked the blade out, swiftly cutting the box down it's seams with a practiced ease and a growing sense of satisfaction swelling within his chest.

It only took three months. Three whole months to unpack every single last box he'd dragged with him into his new home. Who knew that one single room in a house could fill an entire apartment? Mentally he chided himself for placing such value in material items. He wished for a simpler life, sometimes. In which he had nothing more to care about than his own health and food in his belly, not so much as if he should buy the next CD of his favorite band or if a certain poster would look good on his wall.

Like a samurai or something. Yeah. A wondering cowboy with nothing but freedom and promise on the road ahead of him and nothing but satisfied accomplishment at his back. He'd spend everyday without a care in the world and no obligations. He'd make his earnings by saving damsels in distress and ridding the world of gun-slinging, sword-swinging evil-doers. His name would be that soft whisper in the back of taverns, the one that everyone would know and hope to see.

_Jacob Sutherland's comin' to town!_

_I wanna be like him when I grow up!_

_Whatta man! So honorable!_

_I heard he saved a town full of women and children from demons!_

_Yeah and he fought them _bare-handed!

It'd be like a _movie_.

'Tch. Yeah right. Nothing is ever like the movies, who was he kidding? And besides, that glorious lifestyle wouldn't work for him, he wouldn't even know what to do with it. He was much too reclusive for that type of shit. But still, it was kind of fun to think about every now and then he guessed.

Unless it _wasn't_ a movie... and he really could live out his days as a wondering vagabond.

"Get your head out of the clouds, kid." Jacob muttered to himself, rolling his eyes and feeling embarrassed suddenly. Wasn't he a little old for daydreaming, anyways?

He grabbed the remains of the cardboard box and tossed it into the trash, dismally yanking the bag out of the can when he noticed it was full. After tying it off he dragged it to the front of his apartment, tossing it in front of the door and wiping his hands subconsciously off on his tattered jeans. Now all he had to do was remember to take it out before his cat could get it's grubby paws on it.

Speaking of, where was Shadow?

Jacob turned and surveyed the living room of his apartment and felt a swell of pride and... something. Freedom, he guessed, exhilaration. This was _his_ apartment. Not his parent's house or anyone else's. His own personal living space. He could do whatever he wanted and no one would have a say in it. Not that he'd do anything crazy or stupid to begin with.

Shadow, on the other hand. That damn cat would get into everything just to piss him off. He was nowhere in sight at the moment and Jacob suspected he was under his bed again, but he wasn't going to let his guard down. The last thing he needed was to walk into a room covered in trash.

For fifteen years old, he was pretty mature, or at least that's what everyone said about him. His parents obviously thought so, otherwise there'd be no way they'd let him stay here on his own. Not when they had to move all the way across country to California to start up a new store for their business. Jacob would've liked to go with them, but he wanted to finish school here first. He was damn lucky his parents agreed to it and with surprisingly little fuss.

_Guess that means they trust me,_ he thought with a small smile.

He was _really_ lucky.

Speaking of lucky!

"Ah, shit!" His eyes widened and he looked at the red digital clock on the television stand.

It read 6:00.

"Aggghhh~!"

Jacob growled with an irritated scowl and moved hurriedly through his apartment towards his bedroom. No, wait. On second thought he should clean up first. So he pivoted in a rush to get to the bathroom instead but unfortunately his body had yet to get the memo and he nearly tripped over his legs. He stumbled and caught himself on the wall, cursing inwardly and walking hurredly into the bathroom.

"Great," He muttered angrily, scowling into the mirror. His mood had plummeted. "Thirty minutes before I have to leave and you couldn't at least warn me what time it was?"

_**What am I, your secretary? You shouldn't have wasted all that time dreamin'.**_

Jacob glared at his reflection before opening the cabinet behind the mirror and snatching out a bottle of toothpaste. He shut the mirror with a bit more force than necessary and a crack appeared on the corner of the glass, making him wince when he saw it.

"Ah, _great_!" He muttered angrily, quickly spreading a dab of toothpaste onto his brush.

_**Better be careful, that's seven years bad luck! And I'm pretty sure that's the last thing you need. All things considering.**_

"_Ca' i'_," Jacob's voice was muffled as he spoke over the process of brushing his teeth vigorously. Despite his rush he dutifully took the full two minutes required to clean each and every tooth before spitting the toothpaste into the sink. "And stop laughing, jeez." Then he spent another precious thirty seconds for the mouthwash, doing his best to ignore the snickering in his head.

Twenty-six minutes.

_**I can't help it, aibou. You're funny when you're in a hurry.**_

"Stop pretending you know Japanese, that's annoying." Jacob turned away from the mirror and rushed out of the bathroom, tearing into his bedroom like a virtual hurricane as he began throwing clothes out of his drawers and rummaging in his closet. "Ah, what the hell am I gonna wear..." He didn't really have anything _nice_ to wear, but he figured maybe it would be best to go a bit more casual. Jacob hated to see people who dressed up for a date as if they were going to a damn job interview.

He heard a sigh in his head. _**You know you're jus' settin' yourself up for disappointment again.**_

"Maybe not." Jacob muttered, internally wincing at the sound of defeat he could hear in his voice. Was he really so demoralized about it? It wasn't his fault that his other dates never showed.

_**What makes you think it's gonna be any different this time? **_If Jacob didn't know any better he'd almost think the other voice was concerned.

"It might be different," He said in a weak defense, standing in front of a mirror and holding a red shirt to his torso. A black band stretched across the front of it where his chest was, with a another black band reaching down from his shoulder to intersect the first and continue to the very bottom of the shirt. It formed a soft of off-center cross.

He narrowed his eyes at his reflection suddenly with another scowl, noticing something that was more important than what he was going to wear. "Ah, damn it."

_**Told you a week ago, y'know.**_

"Yeah, I know." He snapped, his scowl deepening as he ran a hand through his hair and glared at his reflection. Brown eyes glared right back at him from beneath brown bangs; strands of auburn that barely covered the beginning of noticeable, bright orange roots. "I forgot." They were easy to see when he knew what to look for and although the orange had just started to come in, it was much more than he was comfortable with.

His eyes flicked to the clock on his night stand.

Eighteen minutes. Jeez, really?!

_**Just put a hat on or somethin'. **_Despite the casual tone of the other, Jacob knew that he would insist upon it until he gave in.

Jacob grimaced. "I can't wear a hat!" The red shirt would have to go, maybe a blue instead. No, that'd make the orange in his hair more noticeable. Damn it! Maybe a green one then? No, fuck. Alright, back to red. He threw his shirt off and changed quickly into the red, button-up shirt he'd originally pulled out of the closet. For a brief moment his well-toned body was visible in the mirror, a chest and abdomen with defined muscles and arms that would make any swimmer green with envy.

It was a body sculpted out of a healthy, active lifestyle. Jacob had been taking karate and martial arts classes ever since he was a kid. He participated in sports and physical education was his favorite class. He was a damn good fighter and wanted to keep it that way, so he trained constantly with the teachers at the dojos and his own private tutor.

Everyone would know he was crazy if he ever told him it was a voice in his damned head.

But the results of it were looking back at him in the mirror. Skill and talent that explained the trophy collection he had; and a body that Jacob worked damn hard for.

_**Well ya better.**_ The tone left little room for argument. It was either give in or be distracted the entire damn night with the repetitive chorus of that old ass Oscar Meyer commercial, or 99 Bottles of Beer if the other was feeling particularly devious. And since he couldn't just walk out of the room to get away from him, he knew that he really had no choice.

Not that he entirely disagreed, but he really didn't like how hats flattened out his hair. He'd never tell anyone that, although he honestly didn't give a rats ass what people thought of him.

"Yeah yeah..." He consigned, defeated and changed into a pair of more presentable pants than the torn, baggy jeans he'd been wearing. This pair of black denim felt a little too tight for his comfort, though. _Am I gaining weight? _He tugged on his waistband a little and looked back in the mirror. Then again, he reminded himself, he was used to loose cargo pants and torn jeans – things he could move in. This was a special occasion, though. And he wanted to look... nice. Nicer than what cargo pants could do for him.

_**Aw, breakin' my heart.**_

"Shaddup." Jacob said, refusing to acknowledge the nervousness fluttering in his chest and the warmth in his cheeks. He stood in the middle of his room for a brief moment, hands on his hips and brows pulled together with thought of the upcoming date. His first date in months. Well, technically, if he thought about it, his first date _at all_ if everything worked out.

If she actually showed up.

Twelve minutes.

Jacob walked over to his desk and picked up the cell phone he'd tossed onto it when he came home earlier. He casually flipped it open and scrolled down through his contacts to a name and number that were relatively new, put in there a week or so ago when he'd asked a nervous girl if she'd like to go on a date. His thumb hovered over the call button as he stared at the number intensely. Then with a decisive snap he shut the phone. No, he wasn't going to call her. If she showed then she showed, if not, then, well... It wouldn't be the first time he was left stranded.

Turning away he finished getting dressed by tucking his shirt in – no wait, that was too formal. He left it loose instead and grabbed a jacket from the back of his bedroom door. On his way out of his room he snatched a pair of clean socks from the top drawer of his dresser -

_'Always wear clean socks!' His mom said with a smile._

- and headed into the living room. Two minutes later with a pair of sneakers on his feet and a jacket over his shoulder and he was out of the apartment.

_**Forgetting something?**_

Jacob stopped short just outside of his apartment in the hallway, sighing heavily and dropping his shoulders. "Come on I don't have time for this!" He muttered, opening the door and poking his head back into his apartment quickly enough to snatch a hat off of the stand next to the door. Tugging the hat ove his head he locked the door behind him and practically ran down the corridor to the elevators, basically smashing the call button beneath side of his fist.

10 minutes. 10 minutes and he was going to be late. _Late_. No wonder his dates never worked out. What the hell kind of boyfriend would he be if he couldn't even be on time for for the first lousy date?!

Jacob glared with all the mustered fury he could summon at the non-responsive light above the elevator door. Unlike elevators in normal multi-story buildings this one wasn't gracious enough to say what floor it was on. Instead he was forced to stare and hope that maybe, just maybe, within the next two seconds before he went berserk on it's ass that the light would flicker and the doors would chime -

_Bing!_

"Finally." He darted inside the elevator before the doors had could even completely open, quickly slamming his fist into the close door button. "C'mon!"

"Wait, wait!"

Ah, fuck. Damn it!

"Hold the door!"

Arrrrgh! He struggled with his conscience, his eyes dancing between the button he'd just smashed and it's neighboring partner; a single button that would help out whoever it was in the hallway and cause, ultimately, yet another demise in the dating world.

"Please!"

_Ahhhh!!_ He snarled mentally, slamming his fist against the button angrily and ignoring the quiet laughter buzzing in his skull.

_Laugh it up, you ass._

A snicker was the response he got and since he couldn't force his vengeance on a voice in his head, he chose instead to muster all the anger he could into his glare and set his face into a frightening scowl. He would kill whoever it was in the hallway by glaring at them, that's what he'd do. If they so much as _talked_ to him, he'd boot their ass back out the doors so quickly -

"Aha! _Thank you_!"

A girl appeared in the doorway of the elevator. Jacob's glare faltered and his scowl disappeared as he sucked it back in, turning his head away and muttering something of a 'your welcome' under his breath. He shoved his hands deeply into the pockets of his jacket and focused on the wall in front of him.

He heard snickering in his head again and vowed revenge at the first opportunity when he wouldn't publicly be displaying his own insanity. In an elevator with a girl, no less.

She stepped inside of the elevator, her hands full of rustling bags and an over-stuffed bag hanging off of her shoulder. Vaguely, Jacob noted that she smelled like cinnamon. Or vanilla. Maybe both. He didn't really bother to notice anything else, though he did grimace and run a hand over his face when the rustling bags reminded him that he'd left the damned trash bag next to his door.

In his apartment.

Unguarded.

And fucking Shadow was there.

Unattended.

The laughter was now _crowing _in his head, obviously getting it's shits and giggles from the horrendous situation Jacob just kept digging himself into.

_Go ahead, laugh it up. I'm throwing away that damned tea you wanted me to save._

_**Hey now-**_

Jacob's hands tightened into fists and he vaguely became aware that the girl was talking to him.

"-yours?"

Eh? Jacob looked down at her, taking in for the first time her actual appearance which he had ignored previously. The first thing he noticed was that she was her ethnicity, she looked Japanese. Hell, maybe Chinese. Or Korean. They all sorta looked the same to him but he was pretty certain this one was from Japan. As typical of Japanese women she had black hair, though she kept hers short and spiky. Speaking of short, compared to him she -was- kind of tiny, he felt like she'd break if someone so much as bumped into her wrong. But despite her small stature she held herself was very confident and he doubted he'd want to get into a fight with her anytime soon. He could recognize a fighter when he saw one.

"Uh..." Wait, what had she asked?

She must have seen through the blank expression on his face and rolled her eyes, speaking again a bit more slowly. He noticed the accent in her voice this time, too. Definitely Japanese. "I said, thanks for holding the door. What's your name?"

"Oh. No problem. Jacob." He answered, feeling awkward and turning his eyes away to look up at the numbers listed on top of the elevator doors. Unlike the outside of the elevator, it seemed that the inside was the damn VIP club. He got to see what floor they were on and everything. Four more floors to go. Realizing he was being a bit rude, he looked back down quickly to see her quirking an eyebrow at him.

He tugged his hat more firmly on his head, not that he would ever agree to being a little self-conscious sometimes. "Yours?"

"Tatsuki. Looks like we're new neighbors. I just moved in about two weeks ago, still trying to get stuff cleaned out and set up." She sighed tiredly, looking up as the elevator lurched and the bell chimed to signal their arrival on the main floor. The doors slid open a second later. "Anyways, see ya."

And just like that she was gone, making her way out with the rustle of bags. It might have been a little comical that such a short, small girl was carrying so much stuff if he had the time to really think about it. Then Jacob wondered if he should have offered to help her carry his bags. The clock in the main foyer of the building said absolutely freaking not, though.

6:35.

He was already late!

"Ah, damn it!" He cursed beneath his breath, shrugging his jacket more securely over his shoulders as he quickly exited the building through it's revolving doors.

The apartment building itself was more like a grand hotel if he stopped to think about it. His parents had gotten really lucky with their business, affording themselves a small fortune that was thankfully large enough to provide for a son that stayed behind while they moved across country. Not only did they pay for his apartment, but they also gave him biweekly deposits for things like food, clothing and other necessities. Of course, he didn't really need an apartment like the one they had gotten him, he would have been fine with something more modest. But hey, he wasn't going to complain. The twenty-four hour security and amenities such as a gym and swimming pool more than made up for it.

He missed them, though. They were good parents and did a great job raising him. He hoped to someday make it up to them.

Outside the air was brisk and chilly, and Jacob shivered a little as he ducked his head down into the collar of his jacket. Fortunately, he'd had the foresight to choose a place that was only a ten minute walk from where he lived. _Unfortunately_, however, he was already ten minutes late. He dug around in his pockets as he walked quickly down the sidewalk, searching for his phone.

"Oh come on!"

He'd left his phone at home. Of all the rotten luck...

Jacob ran the rest of the way, grateful he was in peak physical health and could run like the damned _wind_. It was never really something he ever took for granted, but he was damn grateful for his speed now. He managed to make it to the small diner in three minutes, coming to a stop just outside the doors to catch his breath and check his reflection in one of it's windows.

Removing his hat for a moment he ran a hand through his hair, grimacing at the orange color that perked up beneath the brown. He really should have taken the advice given to him and bought dye last week. It wasn't that he didn't _like_ his hair... it's just that he always felt so exposed with it. Like a target in the middle of nowhere.

And of course it's not that he's _afraid_ of being a target, but anyone in their right mind wasn't about to go walking around with a red and white circle painted on their back without having a death wish. And a death wish was the last thing he had, no thanks. Jacob enjoyed living. ….Not that he thought his hair was a death wish. It just...

He sighed. He'd never understand why he hid it. Mostly it wasn't his idea, but he did agree with it – mostly because he was teased so bad about it when he was a kid.

Once he'd fixed his hair and straightened his collar he grudgingly pulled the hat over his head again, reaching out to open the door. His hand paused over the handle. Okay. Deep breaths, Jacob. Nervousness fluttered in his chest again, lifting from his stomach and straight into his heart like a thousand butterflies.

_No fear._

Jacob pulled open the door to the diner, immediately cringing from the loud clang of bells banging against each other. Heat blasted him in the face and he squinted through it, stepping inside and rubbing his hands together while glancing around. He hoped to see a certain, blonde-haired girl with gorgeous gray eyes waiting for him.

Maybe she was in the back.

"Hello!" A cheerful voice greeted him and he blinked as a waitress walked over. She wore a light red and white checked apron over a white uniform without a name tag. This wasn't his first time eating here and he was pretty sure he'd seen her here before. "How may I help you today? Seating for one?"

"Ahh..." Jacob paused, looking over her shoulder for a second into the dining area. It wasn't very crowded at all. In fact he was pretty certain that he... was the only one here. He felt his heart sink. "Actually, I'm supposed to meet someone here. Is anyone waiting?" He asked hopefully.

The waitress shook her head. "Not that I know of, lemme check real quick." She turned away from him suddenly and left him standing like an idiot in front of the door. The waitress walked behind the bar and hollered through a window into the kitchen, "Hey! Is there anyone waiting on someone else?"

A voice yelled back, "Nope!"

And another, "Nuh uh!"

Jacob felt his heart sink further with every syllable. But he didn't give up hope. Maybe she was just running late. After all, _he_ was late.

The waitress walked back over and smiled at him again. It was a pleasant enough smile, but it was born out of necessity and there was no warmth to it. "Nuh uh sweetie, want me to set you up a table?"

Jacob paused. For a moment he actually considered just giving up and going home. Maybe that way he could retain some of his dignity. He shook his head. No, he couldn't give up yet. "Yeah. For two please."

"Alrighty cupcake, follow me."

Was she serious? _Cupcake?_ And hadn't she called him sweetie before? Jacob understood that for some women pet names just came naturally, but he'd always hated the damn things.

Jacob decided to take out his frustration by glaring at the oblivious waitress' back, ignoring the casual sway of her hips as she lead him to a corner of the empty diner. She placed two menus on the table and stepped back to give him room to sit down. The booth had thick red, cushioned seats with a shining silver trim. The diner was sort of retro, he guessed. Or at least it was attempting to be.

"Anythin' to drink while ya wait sugar?"

He felt his left eye twitch and sat back, folding his arms low across his chest. "Water." He said, looking out the window and mildly noticing that it was already getting dark. Dusk at 6:45 in the evening. Winter was on it's way, alright.

"Sure thing."

Jacob looked up at her suddenly, "Uh. Excuse me."

"Yeah?" The waitress paused, half-turned away from him.

"If a girl named Lisa comes in, could you show her where I am?"

The waitress smiled and winked at him. "Sure thing honey."

He felt his eye twitch again. "Thanks."

The waitress wandered off and Jacob sighed, lifting a hand to run through his hair only to remember he was wearing a hat. He lowered his arm and placed it on the table, setting his other elbow on the polished, faux marble surface and resting his chin in the palm of his hand. Casually, he glanced at a large clock on the opposite wall.

6:50.

He might have been ten minutes late, but she was going on twenty minutes.

Jacob resolutely decided not to sigh again. Instead he set his face into a scowl, turning away from the window briefly when the waitress set his water down wordlessly in front of him. She smiled and winked again before wandering off. He took a moment to look around the diner, noting the plastic and metal designs hung across the walls; posters framed with neon tubes. The floor was black and white checkered linoleum and looked like it needed a good waxing.

Great spot for a first date, he thought dryly.

With an inward groan he propped both elbows onto the table, clutching his face in his hands. What an idiot he must be. Why here? Why couldn't he have suggested someplace nicer? Classy, even. Hell, he wouldn't want to show up either. What was he thinking?

On his defense, she said she liked the place.

His thoughts wandered briefly to the girl he'd met in the elevator. What was her name? Tatsuki, wasn't it? He's seen her before, he was sure of it. But where?

_Man, he was tired. Normally he'd still be up for several hours after getting home but... man, he just __**ached**__ all over. When was the last time he'd pushed himself so far while training? His entire body felt like it was on fire. He'd be surprised if even make it into his bed. The backpack over his shoulder never felt so heavy before..._

_Jacob rolled his head along his shoulders, wincing at a painful sting in his neck from a stiff muscle. The elevator he was in lurched gently and chimed, opening it's doors into the hallway on his floor. He stepped out of it, shuffling left and down the hall. His apartment was behind the fifth door around the next corner and he was in absolutely no rush. He doubted he could be if even wanted to. Not to mention his head was beginning to hurt._

_'Man... I really pushed myself today.' He thought._

_The sound of voices flowed around the corner of the hallway to his tired brain. It seemed like they were arguing. Jacob paused for a moment before turning the corner, fishing the keys to his apartment out from his pocket. When he looked he was rewarded with the sight of two strangers he'd never seen before attempting to shove a couch through a door._

_The first thing he thought was how hideous the couch looked. It was plaid, old and in all the wrong colors – orange and brown and green. It looked like it'd just come out of a thrift shop; and it was also currently blocking the entire hallway, which meant it was blocking him from the sanctuary that his apartment door promised._

_Sometimes life just wasn't fair._

_The second thing he noticed was actually a combination of things at the same time. The two people who were trying to maneuver the couch into weren't American. And secondly, they definitely hadn't been speaking English. That was kind of weird and he couldn't help but to stare them for a long moment. It didn't take much longer than that before one of them noticed. _

_A taller male looked up from where he held the couch at an odd angle, just inside the door. From what Jacob could tell he was wearing a dark green hooded sweatshirt and a pair of gray pants. A silver chain necklace dangled from his neck._

_Well, he _might _have been American, Jacob guessed. He had blonde hair, even if it was cut into an odd looking bowl-cut that, personally, Jacob thought looked stupid. The man smiled at him, showing his upper teeth in an odd way that reminded Jacob of the gag reels on BBC – or at least, British people in general. Didn't they have bad teeth? Or was that in England? Course, it wasn't that the guy had bad teeth, they were actually almost perfect. It was just... well, odd._

"_Hey there!" The man suddenly called. His voice struck a chord with Jacob, causing his shoulders to tense for a reason he couldn't explain. He felt his headache throb._

_Jacob narrowed his eyes. "Hey."_

_At his voice the girl turned from where she'd been glaring at the other man. She had short, black hair and a serious expression; and the way she held up her end of the couch in the hallway told Jacob that despite her small size she was pretty strong. She was wearing a pair of loose jogging pants and a white short-sleeve shirt that showed off the flattering muscular tone of her upper arms. Across the front of her shirt Jacob was pretty sure he could see the name of a band, but he couldn't read it with the couch in front of her like that._

"_Are we in the way?" The man asked._

_Jacob glanced briefly at his door with a forlorn expression, feeling his exhaustion and weariness take over again. More so than before. God he was just so _tired_. He felt like he was about to drop. His eyelids were incredibly heavy and he shook his head, rubbing the side of his face. "It's alright. I can wait."_

_That was a lie. He couldn't wait. He just wanted to go home and crash. How long were they going to take?_

_The blond-haired man studied him for a moment before murmuring to the girl in that foreign language again. Jacob was surprised when he could could recognize as Japanese. He didn't really bother wondering how he knew, though. After all, how many other languages sounded like that?_

_The girl said nothing but nodded and the two of them began moving the couch again. Jacob waited, leaning against the wall with his eyes drifting shut. Just a minute to rest was all he needed..._

"_Hey."_

_He jumped, instinct kicking in as his fist lashed out –_

– _Only to be caught an inch before it slammed into blond haired man's face, his hand holding Jacob's fist with a tight grip._

_Jacob blinked, jerking his hand back as a surge of adrenaline shot through his body. "S-sorry!" He apologized frantically, burning with embarrassment. "I didn't mean-" He had almost hit the guy!_

"_Hey, relax. It's fine." The guy said, smiling at him with that strange, broad-toothed perfect smile. "I shouldn't have snuck up on you." _

_-Why was he sneaking up on him?- _

"_Anyways. We're done. Sorry for taking up the hallway."_

_Jacob shook his head and ran a hand through his auburn hair. "Don't worry about it. I just moved in not too long ago myself, so I know how it is." He offered with a tired laugh. _

"_Really? Well then, neighbor, if you don't mind me saying, you look like you're about ready to collapse. You okay?"_

_Jacob paused, wondering if it was actual concern he was hearing or nothing more than pleasantry. He shrugged. "Yeah, fine. Anyways... uh, later..."_

_He moved past the other, ignoring the feeling of his eyes following him. He vaguely heard the other guy's response through his pounding head as he unlocked his door and stepped into his apartment. _

"_See ya later."_

Jacob dragged his thoughts back to the present. That's right. She had been the girl holding the other end of the couch. Tatsuki then, huh? All the way from Japan it seemed like, if her accent was anything to go by. Absent curiosity made him wonder what brought her all the way to America but he didn't let his thoughts linger on it for long. It was none of his business.

Instead, he directed his thoughts inward after realizing something.

_You're being awfully quiet._

_**So?**_

_So, that's kind of weird for you._

Not really. His inner voice generally spoke whenever he felt like it, regardless of what Jacob wanted. But he wanted to ask something that'd been on the edge of his thoughts since the elevator.

_**I thought you'd enjoy the silence.**_

Jacob refrained from rolling his eyes, sitting back in his seat and staring out the window. There were a few scattered drops of water on the glass and he could see a faint drizzle beginning to roll in. Was it really supposed to rain today? He hated the rain... What a lousy day to have a date.

_Just saying. You were laughing your ass off before that girl got in the elevator. And now that I think about it, you didn't really talk at all in the hallway that one day either._

_**So? You were tired. I thought I'd be... nice. **_

Jacob couldn't help but think that his inner voice wasn't being serious.

_Do you _really_ know Japanese?_

_**'Tch. Maybe.**_

_I'm being serious, do you? _

For as long as Jacob could recall having a voice in his head he could remember that it always claimed it knew how to speak another language.

How long ago had it been? He wondered. How long has it been since he had first heard that eery, watery voice talk to him? Watery... No, maybe metallic described it better. It was definitely somewhere in between...

It had been so long ago. In Jacob's first memories he could recall being able to hear his inner voice, even if he himself hadn't yet developed the ability to form coherent sentences.

_...Hichigo..._

"_Who ya talkin' to? Your _imaginary_ friend again?"_

_Jacob scowled, looking up from where he'd been tracing figures into the dirt of the playground with a stick. Recess was generally a happy time for any kid in elementary school, except for the children unfortunate enough to be targeted by kids who thought they were better. He was unfortunately one such target. It wasn't anything new but sometimes he wished the other kids would just leave him alone. _

"_Shut up!" He growled._

"_Make me!" The other challenged with a cocky grin. He stood with two of his buddies a few feet away from Jacob, sneering down at Jacob with his arms crossed over his chest. His name was Sean and Jacob couldn't really remember the names of the other two, not that he cared. "So what's his name, huh?"_

_Jacob turned back to his drawing and ignored him, hoping the trio would just go away and leave him alone._

"_Hey, don't ignore me!"_

"_You're stupid." Jacob muttered, feeling anger broil in his back and shoulders. He dug the stick into the dirt with more force, imagining that it was Sean he was cutting up. His comeback was sort of lame but he was too busy trying to figure out why he felt so... _restless_, suddenly. Excited, even._

"_Hey what did you say?"_

_Jacob didn't answer, focusing on what he was doing._

"_Answer me shrimp!"_

_He looked up and glared at Sean before going back to his doodles, feeling his pride bristle when he heard Sean and his buddies snicker to themselves. Footsteps approached him and suddenly a foot came out of nowhere, kicking his hand and knocking his stick from his grubby grip._

_**Don't just sit there.**_

_The boys were laughing at him._

_**Are you weak?**_

_His hands clenched into fists._

_**If they're your enemy... you should destroy them!**_

_Jacob snarled, whirling on Sean furiously as he stood. He clenched his tiny hand into a tighter fist and _hit_ the other boy as hard as he could! A sense of satisfaction ran through him when he heard a surprised yelp from Sean, and there was a snickering laughter in his head that felt much better than getting a pat on the back. _

_**That's right! Don't show them any mercy!**_

_Jacob grinned, though his confidence faltered when Sean got back up and his two friends didn't look happy either. _

_**You can't let fear control you...**_

_Somewhere he could vaguely hear another child yell out 'Fight!'._

_**If you do, you've already lost the fight!**_

_The words were nearly overcome with the rush of blood in his ears as Sean and his friends tackled him to the ground. Jacob's breath rushed out of his lungs when his back hit the dirt._

_**Fight back! **__The voice snarled. _

_Jacob snarled with it and he shoved against the other boys, kicking and hitting as hard as he could. _

_**Don't just swing wildly! Make every blow count!**_

_The other three boys were beating him down by kicking and punching him, but Jacob fought ferociously. He kept his fists tight and took advantage of every opening he could see. It was hard, because he wasn't sure what he was doing. But his inner voice was guiding him, somehow. He didn't know how or why, but he knew where he should hit. It sorta felt like... he already knew. He just had to remember._

_**Show them just how weak they are!**_

_Jacob was vaguely aware of a crowd gathered in a circle around them, but he was too busy slamming one of the boy's face into the ground to really care. The second boy grabbed his shoulders and pulled him off and Jacob turned, quickly hitting the boy with a clumsy, but powerful, strike against his head. The other boy stumbled back in a daze._

_And then, suddenly..._

_**You should duck.**_

_Jacob's reflexes were slow, but with the early warning he dropped just in time to avoid the fist that Sean had meant to drive into the back of his head. He turned and tackled Sean into the ground, pinning the other boy down and driving his tightened fists into him, aiming for places that that he knew would do the most damage. It made an incredibly bloody mess and with every crack of his knuckles against Sean's head he could hear his inner voice laughing with glee._

_Jacob felt like laughing, too._

_It took two teachers to pull Jacob off and by the time they managed to pry him from Sean he'd left the boy nearly unconscious and covered with blood. Jacob felt a tremendous surge of pride swell within him at the sight and grinned despite his torn lip and the ache in his jaw. A part of him knew he should be horrified but to be honest, he felt like he had climbed to the top of the world. The pain he felt in his body made him feel more alive. _

_Although, now that the adrenaline of the fight was beginning to wear off he realized just how much trouble he was going to be in. He was more worried about that then the injuries he'd gotten._

_**Don't worry about it. You did good, King.**_

_Jacob scrunched his nose and giggled suddenly, unable to find the name anything but funny. The teachers ended up hauling him to the nurse who cleaned his injuries and patched him up. Then he was taken to the principal's office. Other children stared and gawked at him and he could hear them whispering, but Jacob straightened his shoulders and bore his injuries with pride. He'd won them fair and square._

_When he reached the principal's office he sat down on a chair in the corner to wait for his parents. He knew he was going to be in a lot of trouble and he felt bad about it because his parents would be upset, but he felt extremely... _happy_, too. It was hard to stop grinning._

_It had been... _fun.

_Speaking of fun._

_'Hey...' He asked, knowing his directed thoughts would be heard by his inner voice, 'Why'd you call me King?'_

_**You don't like it?**_

_**'**__No, I think it's funny.'_

_**Well then, if you like it, how about I name you King? **__His voice sounded like it was in a good mood too._

_Jacob stifled a giggle for two reasons. One, it hurt. And two, he didn't want the lady behind the desk to look at him funny. He fiddled with a loose thread on his blue shorts, scowling at his knobby knees. _

_'King of what?' he asked._

_**King of everything.**_

_He was grinning ear to ear. This was a fun game._

_'Okay. What are you then?'_

_**Me? **__The voice paused before continuing, __**I guess you could call me.... your horse. **__For some reason his inner voice thought this was funny, and Jacob did too, so he laughed along with him._

_The lady behind the desk looked at him and he quickly looked away, trying to hide his grin. _

_'Horse? Are you a horse?'_

_**Maybe.**_

_Jacob thought about it for a moment and decided that although it was funny, he didn't like it very much. He couldn't just call him 'horse' all the time... He squirmed in his seat, picking at a piece of dried blood that the nurse had missed on his thigh and got an idea._

_'Well a horse needs a name.'_

_His inner voice didn't respond for awhile, though when it spoke again it's voice held a sort of quiet amusement to it. _

_**Well, King, what should my name be?**_

_Jacob made a small face, enjoying the way his nose stung when he did it. Pain wasn't something he really enjoyed, but it made him feel... more alive, or something. Like he was getting stronger._

_'I dunno, you're a horse that can talk so you pick it!' He finally thought back with a satisfied grin._

_**My own name, huh?**_

_'Yup. What's your name, Horse?'_

_**...Hichigo. Call me... Hichigo.**_

Jacob was dragged from his thoughts once more when the waitress approached his table. He turned towards her and she smiled -again- at him (just what the hell was she so happy about anyways?). He had no idea how long it had been since his mind had wandered. The last part of that memory stuck out the most, the rest of it was sort of blurred together incoherently. But he did know that that had been the first day Hichigo had a name, and every day after that Hichigo taught him to become a better fighter.

"Want something to eat cutie?"

Seriously. What the hell was up with the nicknames? Was she hitting on him or was it his imagination?

"No." Jacob muttered, slouching in his seat uncomfortably. The waitress' smile faltered a little and she instead chose to refill his glass.

"Alrighty. Just let me know if ya need anything."

There it was. He could hear it in her voice. Her sympathy. Her pity. Jacob's hands clenched into fists on his lap and he looked away, setting his jaw firmly. He didn't need it. It pissed him off.

The bell on the diner's door chimed as a new customer walked in. Jacob's heart jumped and he looked up, hoping to find Lisa standing in the doorway. But it wasn't her. It was the two new neighbors. Tatsuki and the other guy. Their clothes looked damp and the blonde-haired man began to shake an umbrella out while Tatsuki ran a hand through her hair as the waitress approached them. They hadn't seen him.

And yet here he was, sitting alone at a table with menus set out for two. Damn it. He grit his teeth together almost painfully, pulling his hat further down on his head and slouching deeper into his seat. Maybe they wouldn't see him. He felt so... exposed, suddenly. And why the hell was that guy _staring_ at him like that? Did he recognize him?

_Don't see me, don't see me, don't see me..._

"Hey!"

Damn it.

Jacob looked up to see blonde-haired man walking over, Tatsuki in tow. They came to a stop next to his table.

"Hey." Jacob said quietly. He planted a scowl on his face and looked away, hoping the other two would take the hint and leave him alone.

No such luck.

"You're the neighbor, right? Jacob? I don't think we ever were properly introduced. My name is Shinji Hirako. I think you've already met my friend here, Tatsuki."

Shinji, huh? Definitely Japanese then. Or at least born there. Why else would he have a foreign name? Jacob realized that the other guy wasn't going to go away so easily and finally looked back at him. He felt a strange pressure building against him and shoved his hands into his pockets, subconsciously pulling himself in as close as possible. Suddenly he felt very uncomfortable around these two.

"Hey," Tatsuki said to Jacob, walking up behind Shinji, "Thanks again for holding the door earlier."

"No problem." Jacob said quietly, unable to keep the tension out of his voice as he stared at his table with his brows drawn together. He knew he was scowling again, but this time he had a legitimate reason for it. He was getting a headache and it was getting hard to focus. Jacob began to stand, suddenly wanting nothing more than to just get _out_. "Excuse me."

"Hey, you okay?" Tatsuki asked, looking at him with an expression of concern. Jacob thought she should mind her own business.

Shinji didn't say anything, thankfully. But Jacob noticed that the other guy had shifted his weight just a little. For some reason the action startled him and the slight movement did little to ease the heavy pressure he felt building against him. And his _head..._

"Yeah, fine. Just... tired, I guess. Uh, good night." Jacob said, feeling awkward. He was never really good around strangers. Especially ones that made him feel like he was a trapped rat. He had nothing against the two but they just seemed weird and made the atmosphere extremely... _thick._ There was no better way to describe it.

It just felt like he needed to get out of there.

Hichigo was being quiet again.

Shinji and Tatsuki both parted as Jacob started to pass them. He didn't make it further than a couple of steps when something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. When he turned to see what it was he froze, his eyes widening at the figure standing across the street from the diner. A figure that was looking right back at him.

Lisa.

She made it!

Lisa stood at the corner, huddled into a blue raincoat. It looked almost like she was trying to hide beneath her umbrella. The rain was coming down pretty hard now and the streets were flooded. But the most important thing Jacob noticed was that although it was hard to see, he was pretty certain that she looked surprised. As if she was surprised to see him there.

But the most startling thing was that not only did she looked surprised, but her gray eyes were wide with... _fear_. Lisa looked absolutely terrified as their eyes connected, as if she were a deer trapped in the bright beams of an oncoming car.

"H-hey, Lisa!" He yelled, quickly running to the door.

Something was wrong.

She turned and ran. She turned and she ran _away _from the diner.

Jacob's eyes widened, "Hey! Wait!" Why the hell was she running? Was she okay? Was she hurt? He jerked the door of the diner open without watching his strength and mentally flinched at the sound of it slamming into the opposite wall. He bolted out of the diner and thought he heard someone call out from behind him.

"Oy, Jacob!" Whatever else they had to say was swallowed by the torrential rain outside.

He hated rain. It was really coming down, too.

Jacob hesitated just outside of the doors, squinting down the street. Where did she go?! The edge of an umbrella rounding the corner of the next street caught his attention and he sprinted after it. His sneakers immediately became soaked with water from the flooded streets and his clothes quickly turned sodden, clinging to his body heavily.

It was freezing and he didn't have an umbrella. His coat wasn't made to withstand such heavy rain and blocked very little of it. It was now nothing more than dead weight on his shoulders. By the time he reached the end of the street he was drenched, his brown hair clinging to his forehead.

"Lisa!" He called, hoping to get her attention as he turned the corner.

_**What are you doing? **_Hichigo asked, his voice soaked with contempt.

"Don't you start," Jacob growled, "Lisa might be in trouble!"

_**Did you ever stop to think that maybe she's running... from you?**_

Jacob faltered in his steps.

"Why would she be running from me?"

_**Maybe she's just shy. **_Hichigo said, and Jacob could feel his amusement.

"I can't just leave her," Jacob scowled. He squinted through the rain, quickly wiping off several trails of water that were sliding down his face. The blue flash of a raincoat across the street to his right caught his attention and he turned, quickly darting out after her.

Lisa wasn't far ahead of him but she was still running.

"Lisa!" He called again, hoping she'd hear him this time.

She looked over her shoulder towards him. But instead of stopping, her eyes widened and she let out a terrified cry. "Stay away!"

Jacob stopped, frozen. The world slowed down as he watched her run... _away_ from him.

_Is... she really... running away from me?_

What had he done? She had seemed so happy before when he'd asked her out. Why was she so afraid?

And what was that noise?

**King! King, LOOK OUT!**

The world around him began to move again but it was faster than he could react. He barely turned his head before something large and heavy _slammed_ into his body. A loud ringing sound filled his ears and he could barely make out the noise of screeching tires and the loud blare of a horn. He had no problem hearing himself scream, though, as pain exploded in every part of him. The last thing he felt was the crushing force of a solid wall at his back and a sharp, piercing pain through his chest.

Then he felt nothing at all.

**Chapter One End**

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**Author's Note: The following is a memory that I was going to tack onto the next chapter, but considering I don't know when that will be and I enjoyed it so much I decided to put it on at the end of this chapter. Read on and enjoy the extra tidbit!**

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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-_Memory_-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Time to go home, finally.

Jacob didn't mind going to school, in fact he enjoyed it. It helped to focus his thoughts and, well, he enjoyed the challenge. Other students would complain about it and Jacob would mumble to agree just to get them to shut up or leave him alone, but in all honesty he _liked_ school. He took time out of his life to study, do his homework and volunteer for after school activities. Mostly physical and sports things, like soccer or track. He enjoyed them the most.

Then after school he had a variety of martial arts classes ranging from Karate to Tae-kwon-do and then some. Hichigo had suggested Kendo as well, which Jacob thought was ridiculous at first. Why would he ever need to learn Kendo? When he brought the question up, Hichigo had simply replied that Jacob would never know when the ability to beat people over the head with a wooden sword will come in handy. Not in those particular words, but Jacob couldn't help but think of it that way.

_**'Ch. You make it sound like a game.**_

Jacob allowed himself to grin from the sound of chagrin in Hichigo's voice.

"Think about it," He said quietly, watching the numbers in the elevator continue to go up. He'd finished his activities for the day and was looking forward to getting home. Jacob was in quite a good mood today. He had reason to be, after all, it wasn't everyday you went out on a first date.

He was excited.

"If you bring a sword to a gunfight, who do you think is going to win?" He continued to ask.

_**The swordsman, obviously. If he knows what he's doing.**_

Jacob rolled his eyes. "That's ridiculous. The gunman will shoot him down before he could even draw the damn thing."

Hichigo sounded amused, now. His voice dripping with a sly confidence. _**Not if he's dead before he can pull the trigger. **_Before Jacob could respond he continued, _**Think about it. A good swordsman is gonna know his own abilities. He's also gonna know which one is most important to him in a battle, and in this case, what would that be?**_

Jacob waited, expecting him to continue before he realized that Hichigo was waiting on an answer. The elevator lurched and chimed and he walked out into the hallway, lowering his voice. "Well... speed, I guess. Right?"

_**I'm proud, you got it right on the first try. If the gunman can't see the swordsman, how's he gonna know where to shoot?**_

Jacob reached his door and began to unlock it, pausing briefly from Hichigo's statement. "What do you mean?" He asked with genuine curiosity before stepping inside and setting his backpack down with a sigh. It was good to be home.

_**I mean if the swordsman moves faster than the eye of the gunman can see, then he's not gonna be able to shoot him at all, is he? And before he even knows what's going on, he'll be dead. **_Hichigo sounded all too gleeful about the idea.

Jacob snorted, rolling his eyes. "It's impossible to move that fast."

_**Ya think so, huh?**_

"I know so." He said confidently, standing with his hands on his hips. He felt the need to do something. Normally he'd come home and rest for a little while before doing his homework, but he had a lot of extra energy today. Maybe it was the excitement.

_**Ya know... I could teach you how to move that fast. If ya wanted. **_

Jacob lifted an eyebrow skeptically. Hichigo sounded a bit too devious for him to take his inner voice seriously. "You claim you can teach me a lot of things. I've yet to see any of it."

_**All in due time, King. **_Hichigo replied with a smug tone.

It wasn't that Jacob doubted Hichigo. His inner voice knew a lot of things and taught him a lot of things that, frankly, sometimes kept him up at night. What made him worry was the fact that deep down, he knew that this voice was just a part of him. Which meant that it knew whatever he knew, he just hadn't figured out how yet.

Jacob had looked it up one night, long ago. If he ever went to get his head checked he was pretty certain the doctors would call it Dissociative disorder, better known as a split-personality. But the problem was that Jacob... somehow knew, he _knew_ that it somehow... was _more_ than that. It was a terrifying thought and he didn't like to think about it.

He pulled his thoughts back to his apartment and looked around. He still felt like he needed to do something. That was when he spotted... _it._

A box. Sitting in an abandoned corner of the living room. When he saw it, he knew what it was. It wasn't just a box. It was... the _last_ box.

A grin split his lips and he walked over to it, grabbing it up and hauling it into the kitchen where he placed it on the counter. Pulling open a drawer, Jacob grabbed out the cutters he'd bought when he first moved in and with one swift movement cut the tape that bound the box shut. He opened it, peering inside as a sudden smell assaulted his senses.

"Here it is." He said with a small amount of joy. "I told you I didn't throw it away."

Although Hichigo didn't say anything, he could feel a prickle of pleased curiosity in the back of his head that didn't belong to him.

Jacob pulled out the first box of tea, turning it around in his hands until he found a date. He made a face. "Jeez... This one's no good." He turned and chucked it into the trash can behind him before retrieving another box. He checked the date on that one and it too, was expired. He threw it away too.

_**Hey... don't be throwing **_**all**_** of them away.**_

"If they're out of date they're out of here Hichigo," Jacob mumbled, digging through the box. There was also some utensils in it and a statue of red ceramic dragon that was wrapped in paper towels. Some toothpicks and plastic frog that lit up when it was shook. A bunch of junk, really. Jacob made a face and threw it all away.

_**Oy, Oy! Hey! There's still tea in there!**_

"So? It's probably bad. I'll buy some more later."

_**Nuh uh, **_Hichigo scoffed, _**I know one of 'em has to be good and you better save it. **_

"Why? I don't even like the stuff."

_**Sure you do, you just don't know it yet.**_

Jacob rolled his eyes, feeling more than a little annoyed. "Shut up. I don't like tea and never will!"

_**Yes. You **_**do.**

"I never even drink it!" He snarled, feeling angry that Hichigo was telling him what he did and did not like. "I only buy it because you tell me to!"

Hichigo was quiet for a moment and when he spoke again Jacob could barely hear him. _**Maybe I like it.**_

"What?"

This time Hichigo sounded annoyed. _**I **_**said**_** maybe **_**I**_** like it.**_

Jacob grabbed his hair in frustration. "How the hell can you like it?! You've never even had it before!"

_**Maybe I have.**_

He made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat. "No you haven't! If I've never had it how could you ever have it?!"

Hichigo didn't respond to that and Jacob smirked, crossing his arms victoriously. "Exactly. Now shut up."

* * *


	3. Ch 3 Life After Death

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**_Penumbra_**

**Chapter Three**

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Thank you everyone who reviewed and/or alerted and/or fav'd! :D

There may be OOC here, I'm still trying to flesh out how these characters interact. :( It's tough work!

Many thanks to Hikaru for helping me! ^^

I apologize for any formatting errors.

_Italics = Thoughts & Flashbacks_

_**Italics+Bold = Inner Voice**_

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**_

"_Ow... my head hurts."_

_He was on something soft and... cold, though he felt it should be warm._

_**It would after that fall you took.**_

"_Hichigo?__What happened?"_

_**You fell, remember?**_

"_I fell?"_

_**Yep.**_

"_Why can't I see anything?"_

_**You're asleep.**_

"_Am I dreaming?"_

_**You can say that.**_

"_Why is everything sideways?"_

_**Been wonderin' that myself. I thought you couldn't see?**_

"_I can feel it. Where's mom?"_

_**She's here. With your dad. They're worried about you, aibou.**_

"_Did they see me win the fight?"_

_**Yeah, they did. You did good. Soon you'll be able to beat anyone.**_

"_But I tripped."_

_**Technically, you were pushed. **_

"_Pushed?"_

_**Yup. The other kid snuck up on you after you won.**_

_A hand hesitantly touched his hair._

"_Am I dead?"_

_**No. You'll be fine. Thanks to me.**_

_The hand was very cold._

"_Is that you?"_

_The hand stopped and disappeared. He felt whatever he was laying on shift subtly. Legs._

_**Don't worry about it, King. I'll take care of everything. Go back to sleep.**_

"_I thought I was asleep."_

_**So you are.**_

_**

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**_

He could hear something through the muddled haze of darkness that clouded his mind. It was far away and he stretched his senses towards it. He felt like he had been sinking into oblivion for so long and this was the first thing he'd found to break the monotony. It was hope and he struggled towards it, grabbing it firmly. Suddenly groaning as pain blossomed awareness into his groggy mind.

The sound was mechanical. It hummed and hissed and beeped at him in a chorus of other noises, things he eventually began to recognize as voices, machines and footsteps.

_Where am I?_

Slowly he became aware of his body, startled when he realized he hadn't felt it before. His fingers twitched and he wiggled his toes, grimacing against the old flavor in his mouth as he licked his lips weakly. He was afraid to open his eyes, unsure of how bright it would be. But he had to see.

Carefully he pried them open, able to pick up blurry movements in the world around him. The air smelled strange and stale and... sterilized.

With a jolt his eyes opened and he gasped as a fresh wave of pain coursed through his body with a sharpness that throbbed in his chest. With yet another groan he fell back against the bed, turning his head to the side and shutting his eyes.

He remembered it vaguely. He'd been hit by something. A car. Or maybe it was a truck. Hell, it could have been a damned spaceship for all he knew. Whatever it was it had come out of nowhere and he thought that... it had... he had...

He'd gotten careless. He hadn't been paying attention.

_Hichigo's never gonna let me live this down..._ he thought, sending his thoughts towards the back of his mind and calling out, _Hichigo?_

There wasn't an answer but he didn't dwell on it. His inner voice only answered when he felt like it, and right now Jacob didn't think he'd be able to handle Hichigo's teasing anyways.

"Good morning, Mr. Sutherland." A gentle voice reached his ears and he squinted his eyes open slowly to see a white-clad nurse standing over a bag hooked onto a metal stand next to his bed. He watched her with a pleasant haze fogging his thoughts, becoming slowly aware of the needles and tubes attached to him.

His chest hurt. His eyes hurt. His skin hurt. His damned _hair_ hurt.

Jacob licked his lips again. "What happened?"

She smiled at him, leaning over to check on the bandages that wrapped around his forehead. He hadn't even realized they were there. "You were struck by a vehicle," She said, pulling away and making a note on the clipboard she carried. "But the doctor says you should be fine. You just need to rest for awhile. You've sustained a lot of injuries."

He felt like there there should be more to tell (he'd gotten hit by a car!) but he was too tired to question about it. Instead he nodded weakly, turning his head to the side again and slowly closing his eyes.

"Is he awake?" A new, familiar voice spoke.

Jacob opened his eyes and looked to see that, unexpectedly, Shinji stood at the foot of his bed.

"What are you doing here?" He blurted out without thinking.

Shinji grinned at them then, a friendly sort of smile full of teeth. "Hey, he _is_ awake! You had us worried there, friend."

The nurse clicked her tongue at the other man. "Be easy with him, he needs to rest."

"Yeah yeah." Shinji said, waving her off with a hand. Jacob continued to look at him as Shinji scratched his chin with a hand, looking back thoughtfully. "For a little while there I was beginning to wonder."

Jacob scowled at him half-heartedly and looked away, picking at a loose thread in the white sheet that covered him. "You didn't answer my question."

"Huh? Oh. Tatsuki and I followed you when you left that diner in such a rush. We..." His voice softened then and he looked away, scratching the back of his head with a put upon, ragged sigh, "We tried to warn you about the truck but I guess you didn't hear us."

"So it _was_ a truck then?"

"Yeah. Big one, too." Shinji looked at him with a suddenly renewed grin. "But it looks like nothing you couldn't handle. No big surprise."

Jacob lifted an eyebrow at the man curiously but didn't get a chance to say anything else before Tatsuki appeared from behind the curtain. She smacked Shinji on the back of his head with an annoyed expression.

"Oy!" She said, "Stop buggin' the poor guy and let him sleep already."

Shinji yelped when she hit him, and now rubbed the back of his head. "I wasn't bugging him! I was just talking to him! Jeesh. Besides, he's had enough sleep."

"Not true and you know it. We can wait a little longer, it won't hurt-" She stopped there abruptly. Tatsuki turned towards him and smiled, walking over to him and standing next to his bed. "How ya feeling, Jacob?"

"Like I got hit by a truck," He said, resting his head against the pillows. He was tired and didn't have the mental energy to listen to them talk for much longer.

Tatsuki just smiled at him. "The doctor says you might be able to leave in a week or so if you heal up properly. So get some rest. Don't let this guy keep you awake, alright?"

Jacob said nothing, wondering what the hell they were doing there. It wasn't like they knew him. Oh. Wait, that reminded him. He opened his eyes to see Shinji gone and Tatsuki about to leave.

"Hey," He said, watching her pause and turn around, "Did anyone call my parents?"

Tatsuki was quiet for a moment before she rubbed her head with a small frown, "I'm not sure," She finally admitted slowly, "You could ask the nurse, though."

"Alright." Jacob said and closed his eyes again. A moment later he heard the sound of a door shut and drifted back to sleep.

"-can't just do that! He's got a whole 'nother life here!"

"So? Who the hell cares? This is sort of more important than that, Tatsuki."

"It's not that easy and you _know_ it. He's got a _family_, Shinji. Parents! A mom and a dad and who knows how many brothers and sisters-"

"Jeesh, I should have just taken Hiyori with me. Didn't know you'd get so soft-hearted. Well then, what do you wanna do? We can't just pretend we never found 'em."

Silence.

Then a surrendering sigh.

"Fine then, have it your way. But I'm still gonna let Urahara know what's going on. We'll take it from there, alright?"

"Thanks, Shinji."

"Yeah yeah... I think he's waking up."

A dull ache in the center of his chest slowly drew Jacob back to the world around him. The voices that had helped pull him awake faded and he knew instantly that they were watching him. He opened his eyes.

Tatsuki and Shinji sat off to the side. Or rather, Shinji was sitting – no, _lounging_ while Tatsuki stood next to him, her arms folded across her chest. Both of them were watching him, Shinji with a blank expression and his head tilted back while Tatsuki looked relieved. She walked over.

"Hey." She said, "Awake again, huh?"

"Yeah." Jacob said, frowning at the both of them. "What are you two doing here?"

"We sorta feel responsible for you I guess," Tatsuki said with a smile, unfolding her arms to rest her hands on her hips. "How ya feelin'?"

"Fine." Jacob said, sitting up slowly and wincing as the dull ache in his chest sharpened into something refined and painful. He ignored it and muttered a brief thanks when Tatsuki thought to lift the back of his bed up. That would have been the easy way to do it, he guessed, but he would have felt weird using a machine to help him sit up. No, he'll do it on his own, thanks very much.

"The doctor says you can probably go home when you feel up to it." Shinji finally commented, looking at his fingers and flicking something off of them briefly. He gave all the appearance of being uninterested, though Jacob could feel that Shinji was paying a lot more attention than he let on.

"Good. Where is he?" Jacob asked immediately.

Shinji shrugged.

Tatsuki sighed at the other and shook her head. "Fine, I'll get him. Why the hell are you so lazy anyways?"

Shinji smiled at her with what Jacob assumed was supposed to be charm. "Because I know you'll pick up the slack."

He yelped when she smacked him across his head as she passed by, walking out of the room with a mutter that sounded like 'idiot'.

Jacob smirked with some amusement. "She always treat you like that?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Shinji said, rolling his head on his shoulders and slouching even further into his chair. He folded his hands together with his elbows sitting on the arm rests. "You know you're pretty lucky."

Jacob didn't disagree with that. "I probably am. I can't believe I was so stupid." He said honestly.

"You died, y'know."

Jacob looked up sharply, his eyes widening. "W-what?"

Shinji still didn't appear to be anything but nonchalant about the issue, though the way he was staring at Jacob said otherwise. "For a second or so. You were clinically dead. That truck hit you doing about fifty and crushed you into a concrete wall. A pipe busted through and went straight through your chest." He said, listing off the injuries with all the casualty of explaining the weather. 

Jacob felt the blood rush out of his face, his hands clenching the bed sheets tightly. He was unable to find his voice and suddenly held a hand to his chest. His fingers were shaking.

Shinji continued relentlessly, "The doctors worked for about eighteen hours to get you straightened out. The pipe couldn't be removed until they had you stabilized. It was the only thing keeping you alive. Yet surprisingly, despite being crushed between a wall of cement and a five ton truck, you really had nothing else wrong with you except for some broken ribs, a concussion and some bruises. So like I said, _lucky_."

There was a heavy stillness after Shinji finished speaking. Jacob was unable to tear his eyes away from him, unable to believe what he just heard. He had... _died_? Just like that?

The startling realization was more than enough to fill his gut with a pit of despair. Was it really so simple to _die?_ He'd never thought about it before. He always sort of assumed that death, although inevitable, waited on some distant horizon, far beyond the worries and concerns of today or tomorrow. It never occurred to him that in an unpredicted instant that distant horizon would suddenly be in front of him.

Jacob wasn't _invincible._

Ignoring death didn't make him immune to it's effects.

He could die just as easily as everyone else.

No matter how smart he was or how strong he got-

_**Easy, King.**_

Jacob jumped, startled by the sudden unexpected voice of Hichigo. What was even more startling was the unusual tone of _exhaustion_ he heard in his inner voice. He ignored Shinji's curious look.

_We.... almost died Hichigo._

_**Technically, ya did. But don't worry. It's fine. We're still here.**_

_Are you alright?_

_**Heh. Says the guy who got hit by a truck. **_

Hearing Hichigo's voice filled with the familiar tone of amusement, Jacob left him alone.

Shinji was looking at him still. "You alright?" He asked.

Jacob was getting tired of people asking him that. "I'm fine." He said again, "Where is-"

Tatsuki walked in with a doctor trailing behind her. The doctor smiled at Jacob as Tatsuki stood next to Shinji. Jacob was able to see her give the other a suspicious look and Shinji shrugging at her before the doctor stood in front of him.

"How are you feeling, Jacob?"

He felt his eyelid twitch. "I'm fine!" He said, immediately regretting the snap in his voice. He scowled. "I'm fine." He said again, more quietly. Vaguely, he could've sworn he heard someone snickering. It was hard to tell if it was Hichigo or not and when he focused he realized it may even be coming from either Tatsuki or Shinji.

What the hell was their problem?

"That's good to hear." The doctor said with the pleasant voice of professionalism, unaffected by the gruff tone of his patient. "I'll have the nurse come in here and take a last look at you. If you're still feeling well after that you're free to go home."

Jacob nodded, relieved. "Thanks... Uh..." He remembered suddenly what Tatsuki had said when he'd first woken up. "Do my parents know I'm here?"

"Yes they do." The doctor said and Jacob felt a weight lift off of his shoulders. "Your mother said she would be here tomorrow."

Tomorrow? Jacob frowned.

"How long have I been here?"

"About two weeks."

"Two weeks?!" He sputtered. Jacob didn't know if he was more upset at the time he'd been unconscious or the fact his parents hadn't been by to see him during that time. "When were they told?"

The doctor smiled at him suddenly and his face took a softer edge in understanding. "Don't worry. They were both here the day after you were admitted and they stayed for almost the entire first week before they had to leave. I took the liberty of contacting her before coming here to let her know you would be leaving the hospital and she said she would be here tomorrow."

"Oh... alright." Jacob said quietly, feeling relieved. "So I can go home?"

"Yup. Just let the nurse take a look and then we'll get everything set up. Just make sure to take it easy, alright? No strenuous activity for at least a week. You should be alright but I don't want to take any chances. If you have any trouble breathing, any at all, make sure you get to the emergency room, alright?"

All things considered, Jacob really did have it lucky if that was all he had to worry about.

"Alright." He said.

"Good. Now then, go home and get some rest." The doctor said with a smile and turned to leave.

"Uh, thanks." Jacob said quickly before he walked out of the room. The doctor turned towards him and smiled again.

"You're welcome."

He nodded to Tatsuki and Shinji and exited.

Shinji stood from his chair, shoving his hands into the pockets of his dark gray jacket. "Alright then! Let's get you out of here."

Jacob looked at him with a small scowl. "I'll be fine on my own." He said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and ignoring the faint dizziness that accompanied his movement.

"Sure you will." Shinji said disinterestedly.

Tatsuki reached down at the foot of the bed and hauled up a bag, tossing it onto the mattress. "Here's your clothes if you want to change." She said to Jacob, grabbing Shinji by the arm. "We'll wait outside."

Jacob waited for them to leave before taking his clothes and entering the small bathroom in his room. He shut the door behind him, setting the clothes on the counter and looked in the mirror. The first thing he noticed was his hair, the dark auburn had faded into a pumpkin orange – not his usual color but getting closer. It looked horrible. He made a face and proceeded to take off the hospital gown he was wearing, being careful not to disturb the bandages wrapped around his chest. He felt his ribs ache in protest and grimaced, pushing the pain to the back of his head and pulling his clothes on.

It felt comfortable being back in his clothes. He noted curiously that they weren't the ones he'd been wearing – those probably no good anymore – and wondered if his parents had gotten them for him. If that was the case, they should have fed Shadow also – _stupid cat -._ But that apparently was a week ago. Who'd been looking after him since then?

Jacob frowned with worry and left the bathroom after running some warm water over his face. His entire body felt stiff from laying for so long and his stomach was rumbling hungrily.

A nurse was waiting for him in the room. She smiled at him pleasantly and he recalled that she'd been the one to greet him when he'd first woken up.

"All set to go Jacob?" She asked.

He nodded, running a hand through his hair self-consciously.

"Alright, just let me do a few last things and you can go home."

He nodded again and sat down on the edge of the bed. The nurse proceeded to take his blood pressure and temperature, asking him a few basic questions on how he felt. After she was done she smiled at him again, resting a hand on his shoulder with a gentle squeeze.

"Make sure to take it easy, okay? A prescription has been issued for some pain killers. If you have any problems breathing, dizziness or sudden fatigue you need to get to a doctor right away, alright?"

"Got it." He said, suddenly restless with the anticipation of going home.

"You're free to go. Take care!"

He smiled and dipped his head, grabbing his bag and standing. Once again a brief wave of dizziness struck him and he passed it off, heading to the door. "Thanks."

Outside, Tatsuki and Shinji appeared to be in the middle of an argument with hushed voices. They both looked up when Jacob appeared and both grinned at him.

"Alright! Let's get going, huh?" Tatsuki said. "Want us to get your bags?"

"No, I got it." Jacob said.

"Let's get out of here then." Shinji said, twirling a set of keys around his finger as he lead the way.

Checking out was a relatively simple process, something that surprised Jacob. He'd always thought walking out of a hospital was complicated and full of internal enlightenment. He was sorely disappointed to feel no such thing as he stepped out into the warmth of the evening air. The sun was well on it's way down and he quietly accepted his new neighbor's offer of a ride. Jacob didn't own a car and either walked or took the bus everywhere.

Despite their generosity, it was a strange ride back home. His neighbors were polite enough to let him get some medication, but little to no words were exchanged by the trio inside of the clean sedan. Jacob rode in the backseat, content with the silence despite a growing edge of anxiety building within him. Shinji drove and Tatsuki rode shotgun. Jacob didn't miss the quiet glances they kept giving each other, the tension between the two practically tangible.

Whatever, he thought. So the happy couple had problems, it was none of his business. He'd just like to get home and check on his apartment. No doubt Shadow had torn everything apart by now and raided his cupboards. He again wondered if his mom had checked on his cat and suddenly felt nervous. The animal might be annoying, but he wouldn't deny he cared for the stupid thing. It had been a stray he'd kept seeing on his way to school. One day, he could remember it clearly, he'd seen a group of students in a circle laughing and could hear the unmistakable sound of a yowling cat. After beating the crap out of the kids for beating the animal, Jacob had taken it home and nursed it to health.

Now the damn thing wouldn't leave him alone.

Jacob sighed deeply, missing the glance Shinji gave him in the mirror while he looked out the window. His chin rested on his palm with his elbow on the windowsill, watching the apartment building grow closer from a few streets down. A few minutes later and the car pulled into the parking lot smoothly.

Shinji shut the engine off as Jacob opened his door, throwing his bag over his shoulder and ignoring the aching complaint his body gave him. His neighbors joined him.

"Home sweet home, eh?" Shinji said with a languid grin, shoving his hands in his pockets and loping over to Jacob from around the car. "I bet the air is an improvement. I personally don't think I could've stood that hospital for another day."

Jacob nodded silently, shifting a little. "Thanks for the ride." He said.

"No problem." Tatsuki answered, folding her arms and smiling at him. "It's good to see you safe."

Jacob rubbed the back of his head a little bit, not failing to notice the length of his hair now reached to his shoulders. He generally didn't like to let it go that long, though he didn't like it short either. "It's..." _Good to be alive, _he finished quietly.

Tatsuki nodded knowingly, then crossed her arms behind her head with a large sigh. "Well we aren't getting any younger standing out here," She said, "Let's go in before it gets cold."

The walk to the building was filled with another awkward silence. Tatsuki and Shinji walked behind Jacob and he felt the weight of their stares on his back. He scowled. _Do they have to keep staring at me? Jeez..._It didn't feel like he was being accompanied so much as _followed_. It was kind of creeping him out and he once again wondered about his new neighbors.

Just _who_ were they, anyways?

It didn't matter. Once he was inside his apartment he doubted he'd see them again anytime soon. He had work to catch up on. Jacob groaned mentally at the thought of all the school work he had to do to make up for lost time. It was still early in the school year and he didn't doubt he'd be able to catch up, but he was afraid this was going to cut into his other time as well.

With a heavy sigh of his own he pressed the elevator button, hanging his shoulders low as he waited for it. Tatsuki and Shinji stood next to him and he was still conscious of their stares, though at least they were trying to be discreet about it this time.

Jacob bristled, closing his eyes and counting to five slowly. All he had to do was make it through the elevator ride and down the hall, then they'd be out of his hair and he could stop feeling like a damn... _target_ or something.

"Hey Jacob," Tatsuki interrupted his thoughts, "Do you dye your hair?"

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, ignoring the quiet snickering in the back of his head. "Yeah, maybe." He snapped defensively, too tired and annoyed to care about offending her, though he felt regretful afterwards. She and Shinji have only been nice to him, after all.

"Sorry." He said quietly, stepping into the elevator once it arrived.

"No no, that's fine." Tatsuki said, flicking a hand dismissively as she and Shinji stepped in. Tatsuki hit the button on the panel and Shinji leaned against the back wall, watching Jacob quietly. "I guess that might've been rude of me. I still have trouble remembering what's polite or rude."

Jacob looked over at her curiously. "You know, I've been meaning to ask," he started slowly, "Where are you from? Er, both of you?"

"Japan." Shinji answered. Jacob looked over his shoulder towards him.

"Really? How long have you been in America? You both, uh.. talk very well." Jacob said carefully, not wanting to overstep any boundaries but unable to deny his curiousity.

Shinji grinned again, showing a perfect line of teeth. "A few years," he said, "We've had a lot of practice is all."

"How do you like it? America, I mean."

"It's different." Shinji said with a loose shouldered shrug. "I like it, though. Nice place, laid back. Everything seems so... casual."

Jacob drew his eyebrows together. "Casual? What's it like in Japan?"

"Not so casual."

Tatsuki snorted and Jacob looked over to catch her rolling her eyes. "It's not all that different, really. I think the hardest thing to get used to is how personal everything is here." Tatsuki sniffed, "I still think it's a little weird. The other day some lady started telling me about her daughter having a kid with a boyfriend who lived with another girl. I was just trying to get a drink!"

Shinji's grin widened. "That isn't nearly as bad as what happened when you first got here. Remember the perverted old man at the airport?"

Tatsuki groaned and ran a hand over her face. "Don't remind me, please."

"You're lucky you didn't break his nose."

Jacob choked. "What?!"

Shinji grinned even more widely, if that was possible. He pushed off the back of the elevator as the bell chimed and the doors opened, moving past the other two to stand in the hallway. "She punched the old man when he asked her to go to a hotel with him."

Jacob's eyebrows lifted. "Why'd he do that?"

"He thought she was lost and needed a place to stay."

"I _thought_ he was being a sick old man," Tatsuki interrupted grumpily, shoving past the both of them and heading down the hallway, "If I'd have known he was trying to be helpful I wouldn't have done it."

"Sure sure." Shinji agreed, looking at Jacob as they walked behind her and rolling a finger over his ear, pointing at her back.

A shoe smacked him in his face a second later and Shinji yelped, grabbing his nose as Tatsuki waved the shoe in the air in front of him. "I saw that!" She snapped.

"Ow. Jeez, Tatsuki you're no better than Hiyori."

The name rung a bell in Jacob's head, bringing the conversation he'd heard to the front of his thoughts. He couldn't remember much of it now, but he did recall thinking it'd been a little strange. He decided to test his luck.

"Who's Hiyori?"

Even though he was certain he'd said it casually, something in the tone of his voice must have alerted them. Shinji looked at him with a curious expression from behind his hand and Tatsuki looked oddly hopeful.

"Why do you ask?" Shinji said, his voice nasally from the injury to his nose.

Jacob shrugged, rubbing the back of his hair as he came to a stop in front of his apartment. "Just being curious I guess. Sorry."

Tatsuki scowled and folded her arms. Shinji shrugged. "Don't be. A friend of ours. She might be coming to visit so you could meet her then if you'd like to." The grin that suddenly split his face was a little more mischievous than Jacob was comfortable with.

"N-no... That's fine. Anyways, thanks for the ride home. And, uh, everything." Jacob turned away from them both, feeling a sense of relief fill him as he dug in his pocket for his key. It was good to be home, he thought.

He frowned, digging in another pocket. Where the hell was his key...?

"Looking for this?" Tatsuki chirped, holding a small gold key in her fingers and dangling it in the air. Before he could reply she stepped in front of him and unlocked his door, swinging it open and walking inside without a hitch. Tatsuki tossed the key in the air and caught it. "Your mom gave us a spare," She said casually, looking around the apartment before turning towards Jacob. "Told us to keep an eye on your cat for you."

Jacob's scowl deepened, which seemed to only further amuse Tatsuki as she grinned widely at him. "Don't worry," She said, "It's not like I stayed in here or anything. Just long enough to feed your cat and clean out his litter box." She paused a second, looking at Shinji as he stepped in behind Jacob and quietly closed the door. "Your mom... she's pretty nice. Smart lady."

"Yeah." Jacob agreed, setting his bag down on his couch and glancing around the apartment suspiciously. "Where is that damn cat anyways? I'm surprised he didn't tear my couch to pieces."

Tatsuki chuckled. "Your mom said he made a mess out of a trash bag you'd left lying around."

Jacob grimaced at the memory of the bag full of trash and tea he'd left next to the door. He looked at Tatsuki and Shinji. "Look," he began, "I'm grateful for everything, really. But I think I'll be fine on my own." He hoped they'd take a hint and leave but had no such luck. Shinji sprawled in his only extra living room chair and Tatsuki sat on the edge of his couch. Jacob folded his arms and looked at them pointedly.

"So, your mom told me you're pretty smart." Tatsuki began conversationally. Jacob narrowed his eyes and debated throwing them out. He _really_ didn't want to have company right now and that strange sense of anxiety hadn't left. In fact, it was suddenly growing ten-fold and the stuffy air in the room wasn't helping. He walked over to the only window in his living room, pulling it open.

"She did, huh?" Jacob said, hoping the uninterested tone in his voice would ward them away. No such luck.

"Yeah. I helped her clean up the mess Shadow made and we talked quite a bit. She really is a nice lady. Told me that she and your dad moved to California and how you begged to stay here and finish school. It was pretty cool."

"I didn't beg." Jacob said, making a small face. "I just thought it'd be stupid to move. It's my last year of high school and I figured since I spent the last three years here I might as well as finish it."

"Yeah, I can understand that. It'd suck having to move and leave your friends behind, too." She said softly and when Jacob turned around Tatsuki was looking at the floor with a small frown.

Shinji cleared his throat, looking over the back of his chair at Jacob. "So Jacob," He started, "Since we're still new in town, I thought you could tell us about anything fun to do around here."

Jacob leaned against the wall next to the window, folding his arms and wincing at the ache in his body when he pulled his muscles too sharply. "Not much, really. Just normal things. Skating, eating, shopping. I guess it depends on what kind of things you like to do."

Shinji's grin reappeared. "What about fighting?"

"Huh?" Jacob looked at him with a frown.

Shinji motioned to a cabinet nearby with a few dusty trophies in it. "I noticed your trophies. You take classes?"

"Oh. Yeah, I guess."

"Are they fun?"

"Yeah." Jacob answered, crossing his legs at the ankles and staring at his neighbor with a new light. Well, they _were_ from Japan... "What about you?"

"Me?" Shinji's grin widened playfully. "I know a few tricks. Maybe we should spar sometime."

Jacob felt a rush of excitement at the idea. A new opponent, someone he hasn't fought in one of the dojo's or behind the school. He felt his inner voice shift uncomfortably, as odd as that seemed. "Yeah." Jacob agreed, unable to stop his own small grin. "That sounds like it could be fun. Though I guess it'll have to wait awhile until these cuts and bruises fade."

"_Cuts and bruises _he says," Shinji laughed. "I guess some things never change."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." He waved a hand dismissively, "So what do you have to eat? I'm starved. How about we order in and hang out for a bit? Unless you have somewhere to be?"

Jacob noticed Tatsuki was paying more attention and knew he couldn't get out of it. After all, where would he go in this condition? He frowned as Lisa suddenly rose to mind. "Hey, when the uh... accident happened. Was there another girl nearby?"

"Another girl? You mean the one you were chasing?" Shinji asked.

"Yeah."

"I didn't see her." He said with a slight shake of his head. "Is she your girlfriend or something?"

Jacob bit his lip and looked down at the floor, scuffing the carpet with the toe of his shoe. "I guess not."

Tatsuki frowned at him. "What happened?" She asked.

Jacob shrugged, surprised at how indifferent he felt about the situation with Lisa suddenly. "I don't know. Bad luck, I guess."

"Sorry to hear it." Tatsuki said quietly, her eyebrows drawn together in a puzzled expression.

Jacob straightened. "Anyways... yeah, we can do that." He said to Shinji with a nod. Maybe having some company wouldn't be a bad idea, despite the stifling atmosphere he felt when he was near them. "I'd like to get a shower though, I feel like crap."

"You look like it too."

Tatsuki threw her shoe at Shinji again. He ducked, but she threw her other shoe and managed to hit his head anyways.

"Ouch! Well look at that," He said victoriously, holding his nose with teary eyes, "Now what are you going to do? I've got your shoes! You've got nothing left to throw!"

Jacob smirked, shaking his head as Tatsuki launched one of the couch's throw pillows at Shinji. He ignored the ensuing scuffle in his living room and headed down the hallway, clicking his tongue softly. "Shadow, where are you?"

A small black form drifted lazily out of his bedroom, looking up at him with bright green eyes. It meowed.

"There you are, you little rat." Jacob said fondly, kneeling down and scratching behind one of Shadow's ears. The cat purred and bumped it's head against his palm in gratitude.

When he stood and headed into his room Shadow followed, standing at the door with it's tail slowly weaving through the air. Jacob grabbed a change of clothes and a clean towel before heading into the bathroom. He paused and glanced back in the living room to see Shinji holding Tatsuki back with a foot placed against her stomach, while she yanked on his hair.

"Oi!" Jacob called loudly, drawing their attention. "I'm going to get a shower. Try not to destroy my apartment."

"Tell her that!" Shinji growled.

"Shut up!" Tatsuki smacked him and backed away, running a hand through her short, spiky hair with a smooth movement, as if she had not been about to murder someone. "Hey Jacob, want us to order pizza?"

"Yeah, sounds fine."

"Pepperoni okay?"

"Yeah. Extra sauce if you don't mind." Jacob nodded, turning away and walking into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

He turned the water on in the shower and left it to get warm. His bathroom wasn't large by any means but it was quaint, large enough for the sink, toilet and shower stall. No bathtub, unfortunately, but Jacob didn't take long baths much as it was. If he needed to soak in hot water there was always the jacuzzi downstairs. He stripped of his clothing, pausing to look at his face in the mirror again.

_I look like crap,_ he thought.

_**Ya got hit by a truck, **_his inner voice said helpfully, sounding much better than it had earlier that day.

_Yeah, two weeks ago. _He snapped back, though he was secretly pleased to hear the familiar mocking tone Hichigo usually used. _Are you okay?_ He asked again, wondering if he'd get an answer this time.

_**I'm fine. It's not easy keeping your ass alive, y'know.**_

_You kept me alive?_ Jacob asked skeptically, _You -are- me!_

His inner voice snickered but said nothing more. Jacob worked on removing the bandages from around his head, tossing them into the sink. Next were some around his arm and then he removed the bandages from his chest. His movements slowed as he spotted something strange and he slowly unwrapped more of them, staring in the mirror perplexed at the sight of his chest.

It was perfectly fine, except for the shallow indentation of a circular outline in the middle of it. Perfectly round, and just as large as his fist. He tapped it gently, wincing as his ribs stung in protest. When he realized what it was he couldn't stop the shudder he felt.

_That must be..._

He recalled the brightness of headlights and the vertigo from being thrown in the air. A heavy thud at his back and a piercing pain in his chest.

_'A pipe busted through and went straight through your chest.'_

_'It was the only thing keeping you alive.'_

Shinji's words echoed in his head and he gripped the edge of the sink tightly, gritting his teeth at the sudden fear that seized his chest. He'd... _died._ He would have been **dead**. He-

_**Stop that.**_ Hichigo rumbled, _**Ya ain't got no reason to be afraid. **_

_We almost died!_ Jacob shouted back, repeating what he'd said earlier to his inner voice.

_**Technically, we -did-.**_ Hichigo shot back, echoing their conversation from the hospital. _**But you're still here. -I'm- still here. We're both here. What did I tell you about fear?**_

_There's nothing wrong with being afraid of death, _Jacob growled in defense.

_**Of course there isn't! But that doesn't work as an excuse to let it control you. -You- control your fear, not the other way around!**_

_That doesn't even make sense!_

Hichigo growled angrily and Jacob got the distinct impression that if his inner voice could, he'd be strangling him. _**Just trust me on this. **__**Have I ever lead you wrong? **_

_No..._ Jacob agreed quietly.

_**Fear is an emotion indispensable for survival, there's no getting around it. If someone ever told you they feared nothing then they're an idiot and their foolishness will lead to their death. If you give in to fear you give up all your strength and pride, and if you let your fear control you, you will never win the battle. That is why you must face your fear. You must never back down from it. Turn head on and go straight through it! THAT is how you overcome it!**_

_I got hit by a truck._ Jacob replied blandly, well accustomed to the sudden annotations that his inner voice seemed to enjoy giving.

There was nothing but silence for a long second and he could practically feel Hichigo boiling in the shadows of his mind. Jacob ran a finger over the circular outline on his chest, shuddering as it sent waves of tingles spreading out to his shoulders and stomach.

_**I guess I made a mistake. **_Hichigo said suddenly, quietly.

_What do you mean?_

_**All this time I guess I forgot that you were going to die someday.**_ If Jacob didn't know any better he'd think that his inner voice sounded wistful, though the mocking edge was still very sharp and he could hear Hichigo snicker with amusement. _**This won't do at all. I guess we're going to have to try some different type of training. **_

This reminded Jacob. _Did you hear Shinji? _His excitement faded when Hichigo sounded anything but happy at the proposal.

_**Yes,**_ he hissed back. _**I don't like them, King. Trust me on this, they're only going to be trouble. **_

_What do you mean? They saved our life._

_**'Ch. All they did was call an ambulance. I saved your life. **_

_Oh really? _Jacob didn't feel like he needed to hide the skepticism in his thought. _How?_

_**You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Don't worry, **_he continued before Jacob interrupted, _**I will someday. But not today. **_

_I don't understand why you don't like them. They seem fine to me._

_**Just trust me on this. You trust me, right? **_Hichigo's voice asked quietly with a sudden, unexplained weight.

_I trust you._ Jacob replied honestly.

_**Good. **_

A knock came from the other side of the door. "Jacob?" Shinji's voice called.

"Yeah?" Jacob yelled back.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah, fine." Jacob said and scowled. They were acting like his parents or something.

"Just checking." There was a pause. "Pizza's here."

Jacob blinked. How long had he been standing there? "Alright!" He called back, "Be out in five minutes." He didn't feel like standing for too long in the shower, anyways. His body was aching and he was tired. Some pizza and a long night of sleep sounded wonderful.

True to his word he finished washing in roughly five minutes. Hichigo had gone silent after Shinji's interruption and Jacob felt that his inner voice had almost completely retreated to wherever it went when he wasn't talking to it. It was kind of strange, he thought as he toweled himself dry, that he referred to his inner voice almost as another different being. It was crazy, he knew it was. It was nothing more than his own mind talking to itself. Jacob had thought long and hard on several occasions of what sort of trauma might have brought on this need for an inner conscious to talk to but had always failed to remember anything significant enough to warrant such a consequence.

Despite how crazy it sounded, sometimes he really did believe he had another person living in his head.

After pulling on a pair of pants he left the bathroom shirtless, walking towards the living room and stopping just before reaching it. He heard Tatsuki and Shinji talking quietly to each other, apparently they hadn't noticed the shower stopped running. Out of curiousity, he strained to listen to their conversation.

"-his eyes?" He heard Tatsuki say.

"Yeah." Shinji murmured. "I saw 'em."

"Kind of strange, aren't they?"

"If my suspicions are correct, we might have more problems on our hands than just him. And after the accident, we're gonna have to keep a close eye on him. You know there's a chance we're not the only-"

"I know." Tatsuki said, and Jacob didn't miss the noticeable sign of misery in her voice. "I know..." She repeated, so softly he almost didn't catch it. A moment of quiet passed between them and just before Jacob decided to make his presence known he heard Tatsuki say, "It really is him isn't it?"

"Seems to be."

Jacob heard someone move in their seat and finally walked into the living room. Shinji was sitting once more in the chair he'd claimed earlier with a slice of pizza, and Tatsuki was sitting on the couch with another slice. The box of pizza lay on the rectangular coffee table in between the two seats. Jacob's stomach growled loudly at the smell of hot food and he considered foregoing reapplying his bandages to eat first, but the moment he tried to sit down his ribs ached in protest. He grimaced.

Tatsuki set down her slice of pizza and stood over him from his spot on the couch. "Here I'll help." She offered, taking a roll of bandages out from his bag and beginning to wrap his chest with a practiced experience.

"Thanks." Jacob said, being as cooperative as possible, "You seem to know what you're doing."

Tatsuki hesitated for a moment before shrugging. "I know someone who's a doctor."

"Must be helpful."

"It can be sometimes. Other times he's just a pain in the ass."

Shinji snorted and Jacob looked over to see Shinji eyeing him with a look he couldn't place. He frowned.

"What?"

"Nothing." Shinji said, ignoring Tatsuki when she looked at him. Jacob didn't miss the subtle shake of her head.

Jacob's frown turned into a scowl. "I've noticed you giving me looks the entire way home. Seriously, what is it with you?"

Hichigo's words hadn't failed to stir some unease within Jacob. He remembered suddenly the stifling, suffocating air that had affected him in the diner and wondered if it was something Shinji did. In fact, it felt almost the same way it did now, only this time the pressure was very light, hovering on the edges of his senses like a snake waiting to strike. Jacob glared.

"Nothing." Shinji said again casually and the pressure suddenly evaporated, "You just remind me of someone I use to know is all."

Tatsuki let out a breath between her teeth and Jacob winced as she tightened a bandage roughly.

"Sorry." She said.

"Well stop staring." Jacob muttered at Shinji. "It's creeping me out."

"Sorry." Shinji said, though he didn't sound nearly as sincere as Tatsuki.

"There we go." She said, straightening with a satisfied nod. "How's that feel?"

"Good." Jacob said, taking in a deep breath and holding it despite the pain in his chest. He let it go. "Thanks."

"No problem." Tatsuki sat down on the other side of the couch, picking up her slice of pizza and taking another bite.

Jacob claimed one for himself, noting that they were still on their first slice. A moment later he noticed Shadow sitting next to the couch beside Tatsuki, looking up at her as his tail flicked across the carpet. He meowed.

"Nuh uh," Jacob said through a mouth full of food, "No pizza for you. Stop it, scat." He kicked at the cat. Shadow jumped and looked at him, blinked once then looked back at Tatsuki and meowed again.

"Stupid cat."

"I think he's cute!" Tatsuki chirped, smiling down at Shadow. "Aren't you?" She coo'd.

Shadow meowed again and bumped his head against her leg.

"He's a devil is what he is. Don't give him any food, I'll never have a peaceful meal again if you do."

"I won't, don't worry. Poor thing." Tatsuki clicked her tongue softly and bit into her pizza again, ignoring the mock glare Jacob sent her way.

"So anyways, when you going back to school?" Shinji asked suddenly.

Jacob shrugged. "Dunno. A few days I guess. Maybe even tomorrow."

"You mom's dropping by tomorrow." Tatsuki reminded him.

"Oh! That's right. I almost forgot." Jacob said with a frown, licking a finger clean of extra sauce. He felt his lips tug into a small smile with the thought of seeing his mom again.

"When's the last time you've seen her?" Tatsuki asked.

"Three..? Yeah. I think three months ago, before they moved."

"When's your last day of school?"

"End of May."

"You're going to spend all that time by yourself?" She asked and frowned.

Jacob shrugged. "Yeah. It's not as bad as it sounds, I've got plenty to keep me busy." He took another slice of pizza, surprised at how hungry he was. Tatsuki was just finishing hers and Shinji appeared to be taking his time, only halfway done with his first slice. He wasn't looking at them but Jacob got the distinct impression he was listening closely.

"Plenty of work you mean." Tatsuki dared to say, eyeing him critically.

Jacob hesitated and looked over at her. "Well.... yeah, I guess. Between school work and my extra classes I don't really have time for anything else."

Tatsuki shook her head. "And you said that Lisa thing was 'bad luck'."

Jacob glared at her suddenly. "That's personal!" He growled, irritated by her boldness and maybe more than a little sensitive on the subject of dating.

"Sorry, sorry." She said, holding her hands up defensively, "I was just saying-"

"Yeah, well don't." Jacob growled, all too aware of how horrible his romantic life was. He didn't need some short Japanese girl to remind him of it.

"Calm down." Shinji drawled, slouching in the chair with one leg stretched out in front. "We really don't care about your love life." Then he grinned slyly, "Or lack thereof."

"Why you-" Jacob threw the nearest thing he had, which happened to be his slice of pizza.

"Ah! What the hell?!" Shinji yelped as the food slapped him in the face. Tatsuki burst out laughing as the pizza slid down Shinji's face.

"Oh, I see how it is." Shinji hissed and his eyes glinted maliciously from beneath a layer of cheese. "Two can play this game."

"Don't you dare-!" Jacob yelped, quickly throwing a pillow up to block the slice of pepperoni that Shinji threw at him. In retaliation, he snatched up another slice of pizza and held it threateningly. "I swear you will get another face full of pizza if you don't put the cheese down!"

Shinji, wielding a large chunk of melted cheese, grinned. "After you, partner."

"This is so ridiculous!" Tatsuki managed to sputter in her laughter. Jacob couldn't fight the wide grin on his face. His couch had been spared, thankfully, but he wasn't going to give in so easily.

"Fine. On three." He said.

"Alright."

"One." Jacob said.

"Two." Shinji responded.

"Three!" They both shouted, suddenly turning and chucking their weapons of choice at Tatsuki.

The fight ended five minutes later. Jacob was sprawled on the floor and covered with sauce and cheese. Shinji was halfway off of his chair with pepperoni in his hair and clawing at the half-eaten crusts in his shirt while Tatsuki stood triumphantly before them, her only damage was a slice of pizza on top of her head and a gob of cheese on her shirt.

Jacob was laughing hysterically, his arms crossed over his chest as each laugh tore them apart with fresh pain. Shinji's shoulders were shaking and his chuckling could be heard beneath Jacob's laughter. Tatsuki was grinning wickedly ear to ear.

"Serves ya both right." She declared, walking over to Jacob. "Easy. You're going to break your ribs again if you don't catch your breath." She reached up and pulled the slice of pizza off of her head, tossing it into the forgotten pizza box with the cheese off her shirt.

Jacob huffed loudly as he struggled to regain his breath, pretending not to notice the wheeze in his lungs with every exhale. "I'm fine," He gasped, squeezing his eyes shut against the smoldering burn in his chest.

Tatsuki smiled at him. "Yeah right." She reached down to help him up. "You should really be taking it easy. You just don't bounce back from something like that. It's going to take at least a few more weeks before you're fully healed."

Shinji sat up in the chair, digging his arm into his shirt and pulling out a piece of crust that he flicked into the pizza box. "I don't think he's going to listen to you."

Jacob was surprised at Shinji's insight but said nothing, nodding towards Tatsuki with his eyes still shut.

"Want your medicine?" She asked and he nodded silently. She stood and walked over to his bag, pulling out the medicine and going to the kitchen. A minute later she returned with a glass of water. "Here you go."

Jacob took the two pills swiftly, setting the glass on the coffee table as he focused on his breathing. "Thanks."

"No problem." She said, smiling again. "I'm glad to see you're okay." There was an unexpected fondness in her voice and he looked up at her, staring mutely at the way her expression softened in the light of the living room. "I mean it." She said.

Jacob vaguely noticed the hiss of unease that came from his inner voice, looking away from her finally with no idea of what to say. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Jeez Tatsuki, stop embarrassing the poor kid already."

Tatsuki's eyelid twitched. "Shut it Shinji." She said, whirling on him. "I'm being serious. You're glad to see he's alright too!"

Shinji snorted and rolled his eyes, using a napkin to clean himself off. "Of course I am. It's not everyday you see your new neighbor get hit by a truck." He eyed her pointedly, tossing the roll of paper towels into her chest. "You got cheese on your face."

Tatsuki scowled and wiped it off. She looked down at Jacob's sauce-covered form and laughed quietly, rubbing the back of her neck. "And you just got a shower, too."

"It's fine." Jacob said, his eyes narrowed as he struggled against a sudden headache. "I'll get another one." He took in a deep breath. "Thanks... for everything." He said, looking up at them both.

"No problem." Shinji said.

"You're welcome." Tatsuki responded.

"Let's go Tatsuki," Shinji drawled, standing up with a languid stretch. "Before we have to clean up this mess."

Jacob half-heartedly considered throwing something at him, since that seemed like an appropriate response but the growing thud in his head was proving increasingly difficult to ignore. He rubbed his temples and stood up, wobbling when the room spun.

"Whoa!" Tatsuki grabbed onto his arm quickly, "You okay there?"

"Fine." He said through gritted teeth, willing the room to stop moving around him. "I'm just tired... stood up too fast."

Tatsuki frowned but let go of him. "Alright... just be careful. If you need anything we're right down the hall."

"Alright."

"C'mon Tatsuki, let the poor guy get some sleep."

"I'm coming. See you tomorrow Jacob."

Jacob barely heard them leave, falling onto the couch with a groan. Surprisingly, a few seconds later the throbbing tension in his head began to ease, leaving only a residual pain.

_**About time they left. **_Hichigo's voice drifted up behind his eyelids.

_Hey... Hichigo..._ Jacob began quietly, throwing an arm over his eyes. A weight jumped up next to him before padded feet walked across his belly. He was thankful when Shadow plopped onto the curve of his stomach and left his ribs alone, wondering if the cat was being merciful for once in light of his injuries. _I still don't understand why you don't like them but... what is that pressure I feel? _

_**I could tell you, but it'd ruin the surprise. **_

_I really don't feel like playing games right now. _Jacob groaned, resting his free hand on Shadow's head before lightly running his palm along the cat's side. He felt Shadow purr in response.

_**You're not ready yet, King. **_

_Ready for what? I thought we trusted each other. _

_**We do.**_

_Then why the secrets?_

_**It's not a secret. You have all the answers you need, you just don't know how to find them yet. **_

_Hichigo..._

_**I guess you could call me your guide. **_

_Whatever happened to horse? _Jacob replied wryly.

_**If that's what you want. **_He didn't miss the disappointed undertone in Hichigo's voice, which sounded like a strangely warbled, watered down version of his own.

_No... I was joking._

_**I'll make you deal. **_

_Oh?_

_**Yeah. Move to California with your mother-**_

_Hichigo-_

_**-And I'll answer anything you ask.**_

Jacob frowned from the sudden offer. Undoubtedly he had a lot of questions to ask. His inner voice had been teasing him his entire lifetime with tidbits of knowledge that Jacob found both confusing as hell and intriguing. Hichigo never bothered to explain, though, always claiming that Jacob 'wasn't ready'. It was frustrating to no end... For Hichigo to offer such a release for his closely guarded secrets...

_Are you really so afraid of them?_

_**I'm not afraid! **_Hichigo hissed and Jacob flinched from the near-murderous rage that burned through his skull. _**You're such an **__**idiot**__**! God you just piss me off sometimes.**_

Jacob didn't respond, turning his head to the side and suddenly feeling like a reprimanded child. He waited, cautiously aware of the burning rage that seethed through him under Hichigo's influence. He didn't know if his inner voice knew of the potency of his emotions or how they affected Jacob and had never thought to mention it. He'd always assumed Hichigo was well aware of the... connection they had.

It was several minutes before he felt the anger begin to subside, though he could still fill it simmering beneath a surface he couldn't identify.

_**Listen to me, King. **_

Jacob remained silent, turning his attention whollytowards his inner voice.

_**Tatsuki and Shinji know who ya are. **_

Well of course they do, Jacob thought silently to himself, though he couldn't help the suspicion those words brought with them. A heavy caution.

_**And they know who I am. **_

Jacob's eyes flew open. _Huh? What do you mean?_

_**Just shut up and listen. They might not know about me -yet- but believe me, they know of me. And when they find out about us, they'll try and rip us apart. **_

_Hichigo, this doesn't make sense-_

_**I said shut up! You have no idea what's going on! I **__**do**__**! Ya wanted answers didn't you?**_

_Yes but-_

_**Then pay attention! I know it's hard for you because you don't understand, but just trust me. I've never steered you wrong, have I? I've always been there to guide you and I won't fail to do so now. Believe me when I say we have to leave before they find out. And they **__**will**__** find out. They have their ways. I'm not saying you'll never see them again, because believe me, you will – them and many others. But for now you need to get rid of them. They'll follow you, so make sure ya don't tell them where you're going... No, scratch that. Don't even tell them you're leaving, heh. That will buy us a couple more years, which should be plenty of time to get you up to speed. I can't wait to see the look on their faces...**_

_Hichigo..._

_**...it'll be exquisite. They won't know what hit 'em. **_Hichigo cackled and Jacob shuddered from the sudden sense of excitement he felt, a different kind he'd only felt a few other times in his life. It was dark and sinister and made him feel like smirking and beating the hell out of someone-

_Hichigo-_

_**What? **_Hichigo snapped, annoyed.

_I don't understand!_

_**Go to California. **_Hichigo said, _**Go to California and I'll tell you **__**everything**__**. **_

_That's a big decision, _Jacob thought back at him, _I can't just decide so suddenly._

_**When you find what's in store for you, **_Hichigo responded cryptically, _**This decision will be the easiest one you ever make.**_

**Chapter Two End  
**


End file.
